Why are our high schools invisible?

Jay Matthews:

Which better reflects who you are, your high school or your college?

For most Americans, the answer is high school. Half of us did not attend college. Many college graduates think, as I do, that our high schools are more in tune with our habits and tastes.

So why don't we mention them? Why is it, in any detailed writing about a person, the college is often mentioned but the high school is not? The exceptions -- like the San Diego Air and Space Museum identifying the Apollo 9 astronauts's high schools (Western in D.C., Central Kalamazoo in Michigan and Manasquan in New Jersey) -- are rare surprises.

High school defines us. It is an educational experience we nearly all share. Useful abilities, such as reading, writing, math and our own peculiar talents, for the most part take root in high school, or don't, to our sorrow. High school offers lessons in love, social dynamics, news and what we are most likely to enjoy in our adult lives, at work and play. Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, Calif., gave me more than my colleges, Occidental and Harvard.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at April 30, 2012 3:51 AM
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